Ranma and Akane: One-shots
by Sorry Please Try Again Later
Summary: Chapter 8: Akane's doing something she's never done before, at Nabiki's suggestion. The advice was even give free of charge. She's asking Ranma out on a date. Nothing can go wrong, surely.
1. The Rhapsody - Schell Enterprises

Schell Enterprises presents

The Rhapsody

Sweat trickled down the back of Ranma's neck as the hot breeze blew past, rustling the leaves overhead. He could hear children on the nearby playground squealing with pleasure, the occasional cry coming louder than the others. He carefully placed both hands behind his head, cupping his damp nape in support. The leaves overhead were blowing, and he got caught up in the beautiful patterns they were making, his eyes drooping sleepily in the heat. He sighed softly, shrugging into a more comfortable position on the grass, listening to the nearby chatter of his father and the Tendos.

{Kasumi was right this morning,} he thought, {it *IS* a beautiful day to be outside.}

Ranma's attention shifted slightly as he felt, more than saw, Akane sit down next to him, her legs crossed Indian style. In his befuddled,  
heated dream state, the shape of her fingers curved around the dewed glass of juice caught his attention, dazzled with the sheer beauty of them. He could see the callouses from her martial arts excersises, from holding a pencil. Her nails were beautifully shaped, not short or chewed off but not so long that they interfered with whatever she was doing. He thought idly that it was strange, the things that could catch your attention on a day like today, before drifting back into his semi-sleep.

Akane looked down at Ranma, laying there in the sun. It was nice to have picnics like this. He always seemed so calm when they were together like this. A wry smile crossed her face... of course, it never stayed calm and quiet like this for very long in Nerima... But...it was nice to see Ranma just relax, to see the tension drain away from his shoulders. A mischevious thought flickered through her mind as she saw the vulnerability of his satin covered chest. It wouldn't take much if she just reached out... like so...

Ranma *jumped* as he felt someone lightly tickle his ribs. No one would have guessed that he was so very ticklish with all of the fighting that he seemed to end up doing, but with that one little touch on his ribs, he would become hypersensitive to further tickle torture. He jerked up, sapphire eyes wide as he realized that it was Akane. He could hear the quiet giggle in her throat as she smiled a beautiful beam of sunshine right at him. His mind sort of fogged as he lifted one hand and put it behind his head, smiling back fatuously, one hand supporting him as he had turned onto his hip.

Akane reached out again and brushed her fingers across his taut stomach, delighting in hearing him laugh out loud like that: entrancing,  
beautiful, full of happiness instead of the deprecating, caustic laughter that seemed to come from him most of the time. So nice to see him with his guard down. Unconsciously, one hand reached up to lightly touch his face,  
fingers lightly tilting his chin up so that his face was level with her own.

Ranma looked up into Akane's hypnotic dark eyes, his own going wide from the hundreds of thousands of thoughts flickering rapidly through his mind. He could somehow see himself kissing her now, tasting the strawberry of the juice on her mouth. It was irresistible as he leaned forward, eyes half closing as he sought out her mouth.

Akane's own thoughts were turbulent, running along the same lines,  
her eyes capturing the shape of his mouth as he leaned towards her, the exact shade of carmine, the soft lines. Her entire body seemed to tremble in anticipation, the air seeming to shiver in her eyesight before she closed them, leaning towards Ranma as he came closer.

It was like electricity running down her spine, like the sweet taste of amaretto and the explosion of fire afterwards, like the sound of a thousand bells pealing out with joy. She could feel Ranma trembling against her, his fingers shivering lightly against her own as the nervousness and slight clumsiness faded, leaving only the golden warmth of his mouth pressed tenderly to her lips, the remaining feeling of destiny finally finding its fulfillment.

They both drew back slowly, eyes still closed and opening only reluctantly. Akane's breath seemed to catch in her throat as a strangled whisper of appreciation found its way from inside of her. Ranma looked bedazzled, as if something that he couldn't fully comprehend had just rearranged his life with that one touch. Both cast surreptitious glances around to see that no one had noticed the moment of tenderness that had passed between them.

Ranma, too dumbfounded to do otherwise, lay back down in the softness of the green, green grass, his hands cupped behind his head now. He felt,  
more than saw, Akane raise the glass to her lips again before settling it down near him. He felt the weight of her head against the muscles of his abdomen as she laid her head down against him. The stupefying heat of the afternoon filled the air as they drifted down into the languor of seductive half-sleep, two where before there was only one.

Hmm, just a thought. Ja ne!

rls (tzi ) 


	2. I-I Lo-love Y-you, Akane! - Sailor Alpha

[FFML][RANMA][SPAMFIC] I-I Lo-love Y-you, Akane!

From: AlphSailor

Date: 1998-10-25 22:58:22+00:00

* * *

I-I Lo-love Y-you, Akane! By Sailor Alpha

P.S. This fic takes place after volume 38.

* * *

There was a light knocking sound on her door. Akane knew it was Ranma, so she growled, "Leave me alone!"

Ranma's voice begged, "I'm sorry about what I did earlier, but I really need to talk with you. Please?" Ranma peeked into the room, and was relived when Akane nodded.

"So, talk."

"I've something to tell you..." Ranma replied meekly.

"What is it?" Akane glared at him, still upset over his remarks about her cooking.

"Well, it's something that I should have told you long time ago, but I couldn't do it. You see, I-I lo-lo-v-"

"Yes?" Akane's eyes widened at the words. At last, Ranma was actually going to say that he loved her!

"I-I-I-I l-lov-v-..."

"YES?" Akane prompted him.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I" Oddly enough, Ranma seemed to be emitting steam.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I l-o-o-o-o-v-v-v-e-e-e y-y-y-y-y-o-o-ou-u-u-u-u-u-u, A-a-a- k-k-k-a-a-a-an-n-n-e-e-eeeee-!-!-!-!-!-!" With that, Ranma exploded, catching Akane by surprise.

When the smoke finally cleared, Akane blinked at what used to be Ranma Satome- a charred remains of a robot which contiuned to utter the words, "I-I l-love y-you, A-Akane."

Outside, Ranma screamed as he threw down his remote. "I thought it would have been easier this way, but nooooooooo, the robot had to stumble over those words! How can that danmed robot have hard time trying to tell Akane that I love her?!

"Ranma?"

Ranma froze when he heard Akane speak his name. Afraid, he turned slowly and saw Akane glaring through her window.

"Just what was that, Ranma?"

"Um, I can explain that! You see..." Ranma trailed off when Akane produced a mallet, and began running for his dear life.

"HOW DARE YOU PLAY AROUND WITH MY LOVE?! RANMA NO BAKA!"  
With that, Akane trailed after the fleeting Ranma, fully intending to punish the idiot, then proclaiming her love to him, and perhaps even making a frenzied love-making together somewhere in an obsurce hotel. After all, she loved him too.  
-FINS-

Authors' Notes:

This spamfic was inspired by Lord Archive's Night After series- Akane, when I read the end about Ranma suttering his love to Akane. It struck me there that he sounded almost idiotic, and this idea struck me. It took me only fifteen minutes of quick writing, so I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors. Perhaps I'll revise this one later. Hope you enjoyed this spamfic.

. _ | _ \ Sailor Alpha AlphSailor Dark Alpha | |_\ \ Fanfics at . | _ \ NGE MAGI Evangelion Fanfic Superdatabase |_| LPHA Now Revising- look for updates later!


	3. Your Hand In Mine- Sailor Earth

Ranma 1/2 Presents:

You're Hand in Mine's Enough - Sailor Earth

From the Author: If you ever watched the first 3 or 4 Ranma 1/2 OAVs, there's this end song called "The Balland of Ranma and Akane," or as some put it, "Ranma and Akane's Balland." I dusted off my video collection recently, and the song got the better of me. So here I am, typing away at my short...

* * *

"So why did I do this again?" Ranma moaned, buttoning up his best white silk shirt.

"Stupid Boy!" his father's voiced echoed through his head, "no true martial artist treats their spouses like dogmeat!"...

"Your father has a point, Ranma," Nabiki agreed, looking up from her Wall Street shinbun. "Even Kuno-baby knows how to treat a woman."...

"Ranma-kun, you will stop arguing with Akane one day, won't you?" Kasumi asked with all of her motherly concern.

"Why am I doin' this anyway?" Akane asked herself, carefully applying her eyeshadow.

"Akane-chan, give your fiance a chance," her father's advice vibrated.

"You shouldn't be so hard on Ranma," Kasumi's voice crooned. "You gotta admit, imouto-chan, he is sweet when he wants to be." Nabiki added.

"You do have a point Nabiki-chan," she answered to all her memories. "He is romantic... sometimes." She placed her make-up back in her small lemon-yellow bag, leaving it in front of her lovable P-chan.

Oh why Akane? Why? Ryoga continued to ask, tears welling up in his eyes. "P-chan?" Akane cooed, "Why so sad? Are you gonna miss me?" Akane giggled, lightly rubbing her pet pig's head. "Daijoubu, ne? I'll be back a lot sooner than you think." She winked, slowly closing the door behind her.

Oh man! Where's the cash?...phew, still here. he smirked. For once in his life his pockets were stuffed with yen, not papers of anything-goes techniques.

He stood (im)patiently outside the training hall, checking his (father's) watch every two minutes or so. Heh, and she thinks I'm too slow. Women, really... He made a face at his own thoughts, suddenly remembering his curse. Wait a minute! I'm an exception. I change into a girl physically, but not mentally! he reasoned to himself.

He heard Akane saying her goodbyes to her family members, including the little porker from hell. He rolled his eyes. "It's not like you'll never see 'em again," he complained. yet again checking his watch. "We might not see our cab either." he sighed, resting himself on the wooden supports of the building.

"Shampoo love Ranma, but he very stupid now," she said to herself, bonboris in hand.

You'd better grab your fiance now, before Akane-san lets him slip away, her great grandmother advised. She positioned herself just outside the Tendo no otaku, crouching beside the main entrance.

"SaotomeRanmahowdareyouaskthebeautifulAkaneoutonadate," he growled. Thanks to Nabiki and his almost pitless wallet, he crusaded towards the castle of his Damsel. "Do not worry, my darling Akane, I shall save you from that wretched villian Ranma." He clenched his wooden sword a little tighter, blending into a nearby corner of the Tendo no Otaku.

Tired of standing, Ranma sat himself comfortably on the steps leading to the dojo. Comfortably, considering he was wearing semi-formal clothing. If he insisted, he'd wear his just-bought red Chinese-style shirt and dark pants. "Special occassion," he told himself, "might as well look like it." Hopefully, none of his "fiancees" or her "fiances" would arrive soon. "Kami please just for ONCE a normal night," he prayed, looking up at the starry sky.

Stuffing him like a turkey and this is all he gives me, Ukyou reflected. She lept down from her post atop a telephone pole, ducking behind a corner against the main entrance of the dojo. As long as that hussy isn't here, I can grab Ranma no problem. Even if she was here, she'd be stupid enough to attack Akane head on.

'This is taking too long!' P-chan/Ryoga squealed. Impatiently, he waited for the tub of the Tendo no Uchi to be filled with smoking hot water. While leaping to hoof the tap off, he fell short, and burned himself. "ITTAAAAAAAAI!" he howled, his fingers reflexively forming the hand sign of aishite. Remembering his mission, he quickly changed into his clothes, racing to beat his bitter rival in going out with his beloved fiancee. He ran, then turned, went down the only set of stairs, and turned several more times. He raced back up again, then cut to the nearest door. "AKAAANEEEEE!" It was just Akane's empty room he stepped into. He face faulted, his body following soon after.

"Oi! Akane! Ya' ready yet?!" Ranma called from his spot outside.

"Coming," Akane nearly sang back. She was still giggling from Nabiki's earlier suggestions and comments about tonight. For some strange reason, she was acting like a kindergartener again, nearly skipping her way outside. When she met up with her destined fiance, she stopped her childish act, blushing under the face he was making.

Ranma's jaw sank to the floor. What happened to her? Ranma asked himself. No way, this can't be Akane. This ain't the POed tomboy I was forced to marry! "I uh...Da...I..." Shimatta, I can't even say anything! After setting his jaw back in place, he motioned Akane to follow him, failing in hiding his nervousness.

Ranma? Impressed? By me? Akane asked herself, looking at the floor to hide her blushing. Does he really think I'm cute? Kami, this is too weird...

Akane will pay dearly for attempting to woon my lover away from me. Kodachi vowed. "Sasuke," she summoned, stretching out her hand, "give me my bag." "Your bag?!" Sasuke nearly screamed, "But Kodachi-sama-" "Did I hear you question my orders?" she coldly whispered. Silence. A small pouch tied by an unusually long piece of string was placed in her palm.

"T-The taxi's g-gonna be here soon," Ranma managed to stutter, "Y-ya wanna wait outs-side?"

Akane gave her best impression of Kasumi's innocent smile, nodding slightly. They were nearing the main entrance, and her anything-goes instincts got the better of her. Someone's following us, she noted, scanning anything in front and behind her. It's not the hentai freak. She looked up to the roofing. It's not Shampoo's great-grandmother either. Who could it be?

Don't tell me that lech is following us, Ranma hoped, looking at every corner of his eye. Nah, he woulda done somethin' stupid by now. He slowed his gait to a halt, his nose detecting the light smell of...Chinese Ramen? Great, they're here. "Akane, stay here," he advised in a low voice.

"Y-you feel it too?" she asked, halting as well.

Ranma nodded, focusing on any shadows that could be seen. What he heard was the shocked voice of the Kuno family servant. "So Kuno's here too, eh?" he whispered to himself. Arrogantly, he marched out just outside the main entrance. "OI! KUNO!"

Akane stayed back to look out for Ranma, not to follow his advice. She heard Shampoo make her surprised variation of "Aiya!" and saw her fall beside Ranma.

"Shampoo?" Ranma blinked.

"Heh heh," Shampoo grinned sheepishly, "Ranma go date with Shampoo?"

Akane's rage suddenly built up. "I KNEW this was goin' 'ta happen! One of your STUPID fiancees was gon'na ruin an entire SATURDAY NIGHT!" Deep within her fit, she grabbed Shampoo by the hem of her shirt. She proceeded to kick Shampoo near her side and hurl her for at least two blocks down.

"Huh?" Ukyou blinked. She had no time to react to the Shampoo-projectile that slammed into her, sending her flying as well.

Even with his double-sightedness, he could recognize his lover's sweet voice in pain. "MY DARLING SHAMPOO!" he yelled, throwing an almost infinite array of chains, knives, metal balls, and swan-shaped figurines at the assailant.

"You dare makeafutileattemptofhurtingmyinnocentrosebudAkane?! I SHALL SMITE THEE!" Kuno shouted, striking Mousse mightily with his wooden sword. Caught off guard, Mousse's body was smacked and molded onto the pavement. "Saotome Ranma, prepare to-"

"AH SHUDDAP ALREADY!" he stopped Kuno mid-sentence, punting his much annoying rival off to the limitless sky.

"Ran-chan, I love you and everything, but you deserved it!" Ukyou struck Ranma mightily behind the head, causing his hands to form the aishite sign.

"Shampoo know spatula-girl stupid," she commented, bonboris glowing against the moonlight, "Shampoo now know spatula-girl is stupider than cabbage!" With that, she threw one of her bonboris fast enough to permanently dent Ukyou's spatula.

Ukyou gasped in shock that her favorite weapon was nearly broken by an Amazon ditz. She clenched her spatula, in rage. "Shampoo," she hissed, a blue aura dancing around her.

She stopped her rampage. An ear-splitting laugh rang through the city district. For some strange reason, people who were asleep managed to stay that way, if they were far enough. "You admirers of my love will keep your duty as admirers. For my love belongs to no woman but thee!" Kodachi declared, striking her small bag against the cement.

"Hey!" Ukyou shouted, noticing a rose-colored mist coming from the bag.

"How she get Amazon love-hate flower?" Shampoo asked herself.

"Why?" Akane asked, "What does it do?"

"Amazon love-hate flower make someone evil-laughing one love love evil-laughing one." Shampoo turned to Kodachi, covering her nose, "and make someone evil-laughing one hate scared of evil-laughing one!"

It took him a while to get there, but he did. He saw her, and..."AAAAAAAAAAH!" Kuno screamed, running towards his humble abode seemingly faster than the wind.

"Damn you Saotome Ranma!" Mousse hollared to Kuno, "Fight like a man!"

"BAKA!" Ranma growled, kicking Mousse to the ground, "Do I look that stupid to 'ya?!"

Something tickled his nose, caushing him to sneeze violently. But then just looking at her, with that perfect athletic body. It shed a whole new light for him. "Kodachi-sama," Sasuke said dreamily, "Did I ever tell you how much I-"

"Sasuke, DAMARE!" Kodachi dictated, hitting Sasuke on the forehead with one of her many gymnastic clubs.

Ranma and Akane stood next to each other, sweat slowly trickling down their heads. "Way too weird," they both commented. Sasuke chased Kodachi out of sight (much to Ranma's relief). Ukyou and Shampoo somehow continued cat-fighting each other, literally.

"N-n-n-nn-NEKOOOOOO!" Ranma screamed. He picked up Akane and ran with all the strength it could take him. He turned around, backpedalling to see the distance between him and the evil creature from hell. Yeah, finally! No more fiance- His back was knocked against something almost as stiff as a wall. He shifted his hold, his back now slamming against the asphalt of the road. He looked at Akane, seeing there was nothing seriously wrong with her. "Akane, daijoubu ka?" he wondered.

"Ranma," Ryoga whispered with a deadly tone. His ki flickered a pale blue around him as he stared down at his long-hated rival.

"So ya' finally found me, eh Ryoga?" he countered, kneeling in front of Akane. "Took ya', what? an hour ta' find me? I guess that's a new record for ya', ne?"

"RANMA!" he boomed, his voice loud enough to shake the wall under him, "PREPARE TO-"

"Ah shud'dap 'bout that 'prepare to die!' crap." Ranma cut him short. "KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" After a rapid succession of punches, Ranma punted Ryoga somewhere near Nagano, hoping he'd stay there for a long time.

Akane's fuse was deadly close to exploding. Annoyingly, he kept his cool. "Saotome Ranma, I HATE YOU! How could you do something like that to-"

"Akane."

"NOW WHAT?!"

"Gomen nasai."

She blinked, her anger substituted by confusion. "Nani?"

"Gomen nasai. I know you wanted a nice dinner at some place. But well..." he extended his hand, "Let's just try some corny romance flick first, ne?"

She considered the offer, finally: "Ikimashou." Gingerly, she put her hand into his.

Let's not talk about our love,  
we'll keep it quiet 'til then  
But for now, your hand in mine's enough  
But for now...your hand in mine's enough.

Oshimai

* * *

Note from the contributor/proofreader:

More fanfics to come :) I decided to edit the formatting of the fics I'll be posting from now on as well.

I've mulled it over, but I think I'll post one-shots from one author and place them all in one fic rather than having each one of them have their own.

There are more archived Ranma fanfics in my profile, check them out :)

AND if you guys know other authors that have ubercool fics please recommend them to me :)


	4. But It Was Funny! - Suds-kun

**Hello all!  
**  
This short story takes place in the year after the end of V38.

* * *

Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction  
"But It Was Funny!"  
by Suds-kun (Shaun Schillinger)

* * *

Ranma 1/2 characters are created by and copyright Rumiko Takahashi.  
Published by Shogakukan Inc. and VIZ Comm.

Story copyright Shaun Schillinger.

Intended for the sole non-profit use of R.T. fans.

* * *

_Ranma and Akane walking home from school. What are they talking about and what is it with Akane's __hand?_

* * *

Akane shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun as she walked home from school. A slight golden gleam from her hand made her squinch her eyes in response to the glare. In her other hand she carried her school bag, swinging it casually as she walked. On the fence beside her walked a slightly damp Ranma.

"You didn't have to laugh like you did." Her statement was directed toward Ranma, but she didn't look in his direction.

"What?" Akane's words got his attention, but not his understanding. "What are you talking about, Akane?"

"You know, last night. You didn't have to laugh like that, it was embarrassing enough already without you laughing at me." To emphasize her feelings, she kicked at a small stone in front of her and sent it rolling down the street.

"But it was funny, Akane! I couldn't help myself, it just made me think of you doing that in class or at dinner or anywhere else. Heh, the look on your face was incredible."

Akane grimaced in embarrassment and then started to scowl as Ranma's chuckling grew into laughter. She stomped over to the fence where Ranma was walking and kicked it. "Pervert!"

Ranma lost his balance and started to fall. Quickly he grabbed the top of the fence with his arms and a leg and kept from falling off the fence. "Tomboy!" He shouted as he stuck out his tongue at her. Akane swung her school bag at Ranma's head in response, but he scrambled out of the way.

"Oh come on, Akane. It was just the two of us, no one else heard what you did." Ranma was again on top of the fence, walking at a slightly faster pace than before.

The scowl on Akane's face slowly disappeared as she thought about last night. "It was still embarrassing." She hung heard head as she slowed her pace.

At her words Ranma paused and looked at her. As she caught up to him, he jumped down to the street. He walked up to her and put both hands on her shoulders. "You've got to be able to laugh at yourself, Akane. Didn't we have a good time afterward? I don't take myself seriously all the time, and neither should you." As he spoke, he massaged her shoulders and neck muscles.

"Hmmmm. I guess your right, we did have fun later." Akane closed her eyes and enjoyed the shoulder rub. A small sigh escaped her lips as she felt Ranma kiss her neck. "That feels good." She murmured as he continued with the small kisses. The feeling of Ranma lightly blowing on her neck caused her to shiver. She sighed again as she felt his lips on her neck with his mouth open. His tongue tickled her skin and she felt him blowing on her neck, but his lips prevented the air from escaping.

"Frrrrrrrtttttt."

"Hey!" Shouted Akane as she pulled away from Ranma and slapped her hand on her neck. She rubbed the spot where he had kissed her. This caused the ring on her finger to sparkle in the sunlight.

"See?" Ranma made a goofy grin as Akane stared at him. Soon she returned the smile and started giggling.

"I guess your right, but you can be such a pervert at times." Akane turned and continued on down the street. "Hurry up, slowpoke. Your parents are supposed to visit us tonight and I want to help Kasumi with the dinner."

"Not if I get there first!" Ranma made a face at her as he ran past.

"No you won't!" Akane chased after him and pick up a large stone lying nearby. With a heave she tossed the stone at him and knocked him down. "It's my turn tonight and you're not going to interfere." And with that she sprinted down the street and around the corner.

Ranma sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "Tomboy." He said as he got up and ran after her. The smile still on his face.

* * *

suds-kun (Shaun Schillinger)  
suds1964  
TimesSquare/8222/  
"THIS time, we didn't forget the graaavy!" Cat &amp; Mouse to Dog


	5. Centipede - Jeffrey Rutsch

Story: Kreutzer

From: "Mr. the Rutsch" jdrutsch  
Date: 1996-02-25 09:01:33+00:00

* * *

Centipede (Originally titled Kreutzer) by Jeff Rutsch

* * *

_Ranma and Akane are raking sandgardens. Or are they. Very confusing, and probably deeply meaningful._

* * *

"This is stupid."

"Stop complaining, Ranma. You didn't have to volunteer. I didn't even ask you to."

"Well... I didn't expect to be raking sand."

"We're not 'raking sand', we're working on the garden."

"We're arranging sand around rocks."

"We're almost done..." Akane was getting annoyed by the argument.

"Why? Why are we doing this? Why does raked sand look any better than normal sand?"

"You're saying you don't think it looks beautiful?"

"No."

"Stupid!"

"Well, if you think they're so great, what do you like about it?"

"It's... it is beautiful!"

"Why? It's just a bunch of sand and rocks!"

Akane muttered a disgusted "baka" and went back to work.

* * *

Ranma and Akane sat at the edge of a bridge. The bridge, taller than it was wide, overlooked an expansive garden. Akane looked at the greenness of the garden, absorbing the peace and harmony. Ranma looked down at his legs, swinging them back and forth to make odd patterns swish around his kimono.

"What are you doing, Ranma?"

Ranma stopped.

"Nothing."

"If you're so bored, why did you come, anyway?"

"I told you, I got nothing better to do. What am I supposed to do, talk to Nabiki?"

"What's wrong with Nabiki?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ever talk to her?"

Akane paused.

"I do talk to her. Just she's a bit abrasive, and she always seems to find new ways for me to owe her money..."

"Same reason for me."

"Well, there's Kasumi..."

"Oh my! So how was school today, Ran-ma?" answered Ranma in as bland a voice as possible.

Akane giggled.

"So she can be a bit mindless..."

"So I'd rather talk to you."

"I'm glad I'm better than nobody." said Akane, raising her voice slightly.

"I didn't mean it like that..." said Ranma.

"What did you mean?" Ranma ignored her question.

"And my friends...they're not really my friends. They talk to me at school, but if I wasn't for my training at martial arts, and that I'm... engaged to you, they wouldn't even come near me."

"Don't be hard on yourself."

"I'm not... I'm being truthful."

"Ukyou then?" Ranma looked at Akane, surprised that she would bring Ukyou up.

"If she didn't think I might marry her, she'd still be trying to kill me." Ranma looked down at the water, depressed.

"So... you're saying... I'm your best friend?"

Ranma didn't move.

"I guess." he finally said, reluctantly.

Akane didn't know how to respond. She didn't. She joined Ranma in staring at the pond and the surrounding foliage. It was a few minutes before either spoke again.

"So what do you think that means, anyway?"

"What means?"

"'Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.'"

"Where's that from?"

"I overheard the priest saying it."

"Who knows. I don't understand half the things they say here."

"Yeah..." admitted Akane. "So, want to get back to work?"

"Ok, sure."

"I thought we might make tea for visitors."

Ranma gave Akane a that's-not-funny look.

"I was just kidding, Ranma!"

"Well, it's not funny!"

"Excuse me..." said Akane, a trace of sarcasm in her voice. The two of them went to the priest to get their next assignment.

"Great. So now we're cleaning the koi pond."

"Yeah."

"It doesn't even look dirty."

"You have to keep them really clean. The fish live there, after all."

"That's stupid."

"Well, that's what we have to do."

"Why? It's stupid!" Akane looked frustrated.

"Did you come here to complain, Ranma?"

"No. I came here to improve the lives of fish." Akane rolled her eyes.

"Well, at least you're good for something."

"Ooh, so the tomboy rears her ugly head!"

"Shut up, Ranma! We can't fight in a temple! You're such a jerk!"

Akane gave Ranma a look which Ranma knew, from long experience, preceded a fight. He had never backed down from that look before.

Which was why it surprised even Ranma when he responded with a cool

"Sorry, Akane."

"S...sorry?"

"Yeah, sorry. What's the big deal? Ain't like I never said sorry before."

"Nothing...nothing at all." Akane thought back. Had he ever said he was sorry before? Sincerely? Not that she could recall.

"Careful with the koi, ladies." Ranma and Akane turned around, startled. A small man of perhaps seventy years was addressing them.

"How is your work progressing?" asked the old man, curiously.

"Fine, thank you." answered Akane.

"You two work volunteer here?"

"Yes."

"It's good to see young people take an interest in the temple."

"Well, it's something I've meant to do for the past five years now. Izkeep on putting it off and putting it off, and I figured if I didn't volunteer soon, I'd be putting it off forever."

"True, true. It's something I always meant to do and I never did. Not working at the temple is one the greatest regrets of my life."

"It's never to late to volunteer" offered Akane.

"Yes," smiled the old man, "But I am too old for such things. I just came to see the fish at the pond. But I see you are cleaning..."

"Sorry about that."

"No need to be sorry. But please, take care in cleaning the pond. Those fish mean a great deal to me."

"Fish mean a great deal to you?" asked Ranma. Akane elbowed him.

"Wha'd you do that for?!"

"You're being a jerk!"

The man laughed. "No need for that. I suppose it may seem... odd, for an old man to care so much for fish."

"Yup." replied Ranma. Akane gave him a dirty look.

"These fish...sometimes they seem to be all I have left to remember my childhood by."

"You had pet fish as a child?" asked Akane.

"Oh, no. But I was raised in this area...it was much smaller, much less developed then...and I went to this temple as a boy. As I recall..." the old man, clearly amused, looked in the barrel Ranma and Akane had temporarily placed the koi, and pointed at a large, dark orange fish. "This fish was my favorite as a child."

"This fish? You mean the same one? It's been alive all this time?" asked Ranma. The old man laughed.

"You'd be amazed at how quickly the years have passed. But yes, it was the same fish, although it has gotten fatter, and its scales have lost much of their luster."

"That's incredible." The old man didn't notice Akane and continued.

"It's been alive as long as I have, and I would not be surprised if it was to outlast me." The old man took a seat nearby.

"I had no idea...I mean, I thought they were just fish..." said Akane.

"Just fish they are...but that does not mean they cannot survive. And," he pointed at the cleaning tools Ranma and Akane had assembled,

"if you take care in cleaning the pond, there's little reason other fish would not excel. Koi can live for up to a hundred years, you know. Perhaps..." the old man looked at them, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Perhaps there are fish here who will outlive the two of you."

"Perhaps" said Akane. Akane went back to work, and Ranma joined her.

Eventually, the old man, looking contented, got up and walked to another part of the temple.

"That's incredible. Who would've guessed that the fish could live so long when you just take care of them?"

"They're only fish. Who cares?" replied Ranma, nonchalantly.

"I can't believe you would say that!"

"What? I mean, it's great that the fish live so long, but in the end they're just fish! The work we're doing now...it has to be done every day! It's stupid!"

"Why? Why is it so 'stupid?!'"

"Why not just get a new fish? Or just not have fish at all?!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?" Akane paused for a second.

"What do you know?" she yelled. "You're such a jerk!"

"And you're uncute, so we're even!"

"Shut up, you idiot!"

"Oh, that's a great..." Ranma was interrupted by a harsh yell.

"A temple is not the place for a fight!" Ranma and Akane turned, startled. A priest stood behind the two of them.

"I will complete the cleaning of the koi pond," said the priest, gruffly, "meanwhile, I demand that you rake the sand garden. Your work is substandard! Take pride in what you do!"

* * *

"'Take pride in what you do', he says. Looks perfectly good to me."

"You got the lines all wrong, Ranma. Look. Compare the half I did to the half you did. And our lines don't even match up!"

"Looks okay to me."

"Are you blind? Look... see how the lines on my side surround the rocks and boulders, and as you get farther away the lines get smoother and smoother?" Akane paused. "When I rake, I try to imagine that the sand is a puddle of water, and the boulders are drops, leaking into the water. My raking is capturing the ripples that are created."

"It's just raking the sand, Akane."

"It's more than that, Ranma. Don't you see any difference between our sides?"

"No."

"Your side is raked in straight lines. Be creative!"

"I can't... it's just sand!"

Akane, frustrated, picked up her broom and smoothed over the entire garden.

"What are you doing?!" asked Ranma in disbelief. "We'll have to start over!"

"The garden works as a whole, Ranma. It was a bad idea to divide the work in two in the first place. You can't just pick up in the middle."

"Now you tell me."

"I'll do the work," said Akane, ignorning Ranma's comments, "but I want you to watch me. To see how it's done."

Akane picked up a rake and went to a rock in the far corner. She circled it with the rake, producing a series of lines around the boulder.

"Do you see what I'm doing?"

"Yeah, yeah." said Ranma, barely interested.

Akane repeated the procedure with other boulders in the garden, until she finally reached the large, central boulder. She surrounded the boulder with not one, but a repeated series of eclipses. Ranma took note.

"So what are you doing now?"

"I told you about how the rocks are like drops in a puddle?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the big rock is like the main drop. It absorbs and consumes the ripples of the smaller drops."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, look here." Akane's circles in the sand were approaching the circles of a smaller rock.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"This is the fun part." replied Akane, smiling. With great care and concentration, she turned and contorted the rake, creating grooves in the sand that seemed to be influenced equally by the large rock and the small rock.

"See what I mean?" Ranma didn't answer, but kept on looking at the grooves of the sand. Trying to imagine what Akane had said... that these were ripples in a pond. And he wasn't sure what she had done, or how she had done it, but he could see the ripples emanating between the large and the small rock.

"What do you think?" asked Akane.

"That's great." said Ranma, genuinely impressed. Akane looked at Ranma and smiled.

"Thanks, Ranma." Akane went back to work. Ranma looked at Akane working. So beautiful...in the red and white kimono she wore for the temple, her lengthening hair tied back with a white ribbon. She looked so peaceful, so contented, concentrating on the contours of the sand. Without thinking, he blurted out a question.

"Why do we always have to fight, Akane?" Ranma looked shocked. He hadn't thought of saying that. He wasn't even consciously aware of having said it. Akane looked at him, seemingly unperturbed, and looked back down at her work.

"Well, because you're always a jerk, and you flirt with practically every girl you see..."

"And you're always a tomboy! And you're as violent as a gorilla!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah!"

Both Ranma and Akane were silent were silent for a few minutes. Akane continued working at her raking, but it was obvious her pace had lessened. After a few minutes she raised her rake.

"I don't know." she said, turning her head towards Ranma.

"Don't know what?"

"I don't know why we always fight."

"I thought it was because I was a jerk or somethin'." Akane paused.

"Well, maybe not." Ranma thought for a second.

"Maybe we've just gotten in the habit." answered Ranma.

"There's more to it than that... actually, I have been thinking about it lately." Akane blushed. "There's other reasons."

"Like what?" asked Ranma, curiously. Akane paused.

"Neither of us wanted to get engaged, right?" she asked.

"Well... yeah."

"And we're both mad at our dads for always bugging us, trying to get us to go on dates and stuff, right?"

"Yeah" Ranma said, a little reluctance in his voice.

"Maybe...well, maybe that's it. I mean, if we got along, our parents would celebrate."

"Ain't that the truth."

"And we'd be confirming their success in betrothing us. We'd be not only letting them make our most important decision in life for us, we'd be going happily along with them."

"Yeah, I guess."

"We'd be rewarding them for being jerks."

"Yeah...yeah." Akane looked up at Ranma. After a few seconds, Ranma spoke.

"Well, let's not...I mean, we shouldn't do things just to please...or displease them, anymore." said Ranma, unfomfortably. Akane smiled and went back to work.

Ranma looked some more at her work. Considering Akane was an admitted klutz at anything artistic, her work was incredible. It wasn't that it was raked with flair, although Ranma didn't see how such a thing would be possible. Instead, the garden seemed so... serene. Like every wave and contour was in its natural position, and any change  
could only be detrimental. Akane had raked sand gardens a few times before, he knew, but that couldn't fully explain the ease and inevitability of her work. Ranma thought about the subject, and didn't talk again until Akane was almost done with her raking.

"I think I see the beauty in the sand garden."

"Great, Ranma."

"It's not the sand."

"Ranma!" there was a touch of anger in her voice.

"No, don't get me wrong, Akane. It's beautiful, it's just not the sand. Or the rocks, either."

"What do you mean?"

"It's you." Ranma blushed and quickly clarified himself. "It's the person working in the garden, day after day. Thousands of hours of work, just to arrange the sand. In the end, the beauty isn't in the garden, the beauty is the work put into the garden."

"I don't see what you mean..."

"It's easier to see when you're watching. Come here, I'll finish raking the garden for you." Ranma took the rake from Akane and followed the lines, capturing the eddies and the ripples inherent in a sand garden that had been designed centuries before.

* * *

Hey! I'd REALLY appreciate suggestions. Keep in mind this is a rough  
draft, I'd like to know about things in general. Thanks.

Hmmm...read "Summer" again, and although I don't find anything  
slightly romantic about getting drunk (perhaps having a number of  
alcoholics in my non-immediate family influences my opinion...) I  
really liked the part about "the ocean is the best teacher."

Jeff

****jdrutsch ***********************Jeff Rutsch*************  
"Ranma's not a boy...he's a girl!"  
"Akane is MY fiancee! You TOUCH her, and I'll KILL you!"  
"Ranma, change back into a boy while I buy you some time."  
"But if I seem to act unkind/it's only me, it's not my mind."  
"Ranma [sic],/give your heart to Akane [sic]. /Soon,/right away."  
**^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^**


	6. Memories - Emily Siazon

[Ranma][Fanfic]Memories

From: Emily Siazon emily9  
Date: 1997-04-22 18:40:23+00:00

* * *

"Memories"  
Written by Emily Siazon  
All characters are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

_Ranma and Akane dances together during a black out. Waff and humor._

* * *

Ranma watched the rain in dismay. There was a thunderstorm outside and the power was out. It was already late in the afternoon so Akane was in the kitchen looking for some candles.

The house was unusually quiet,,with Kasumi and Nabiki visiting relatives in Okinawa and their fathers leaving earlier that day after angering Happosai once again.

He idly watched a raindrop as it lazily rolled down the window, only to land on a puddle by the windowsill. He had never really liked the rain, but ever since Jusenkyo he had despised it.

He wished it would stop soon so the broken powerline could be fixed. It was very inconvenient to have the power out, especially since it was suppose to be cold out tonight.

His thoughts were cut off as Akane entered the room, yelling, "I found them!"

He watched as she carefully put the candles on the table and started to light them one by one. The room was soon aglow with soft candlelight, a smile forming on her lips as she set up the table with the food Kasumi left for them.

"I also found this beside the candles." She said as she took thesmall battery operated radio out of the kitchen.

She put it on the middle of the table and turned it on, an upbeat song filling the room.

He watched as she started to hum along, singing out the parts that she knew. He had never heard her sing before and was surprised to hear her sweet, clear voice. It was so different from the one one he usually heard from her which was always filled with anger.

He started to clap as she sang the last word, eliciting a blush from her. She seemed to have forgotten that he even was in the room and she gave an embarassed bow before sitting next to him.

She seemed to be avoiding his gaze but started to relax as the meal progressed. After they had cleared their plates, Akane went to stand next to the window and sighed.

"This brings back so many memories." She said to no one in particular.

"Like what?" He asked as he watched her turn around and sit back down across from him.

"I remember when I was five," She said softly. "There was a thunderstorm just like this one. The power went out right before bedtime and Kasumi, Nabiki, and I were so scared of the dark. We sneaked into our parents room and begged them to let us sleep with them."

A smile formed on her lips as she remembered more of that night.

"They refused at first, but they gave in when they realized we had no intention of leaving."

She then gave a low chuckle. "We drove them crazy screaming after each clap of thunder. Daddy even swore that he had gone deaf."

He watched her closely as she told him the story. He noticed her eyes turning brighter with each word as she relived a happy moment in her childhood. He was glad that she trusted him enough to tell her most treasured memories. He wished he could tell her a special childhood memory of his own, but sadly, all he could remember was his decade long training trip with his pop.

She was still smiling as she finished her story, a comfortable silence between them as another song started to play on the radio. He unconsciously started to sing along, causing Akane to smile at him with wonder before she too started to sing.

After awhile, Ranma stood up and held out a hand. "May I have this dance?" He asked her, his eyes twinkling with amusement as she stood up and did an exaggerated bow.

"I'd love to." She said with a silly grin as they started to dance, their laughter filling the room with each mistake they made.

A slow, romantic song started to play and Ranma instinctively brought her closer to him. His hands moving from her waist to the small of her back as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He started to blush as he realized what they were doing and was about to apologize to Akane for acting on impulse when he noticed that she was still smiling and was making no objections.

He relaxed and decided to just enjoy the moment. He noticed for the first time the intoxicating scent of her shampoo. It smelled like lemons and it reminded him of the lemon meringue pie that they were suppose to have for desert.

Ranma mentally laughed at his last thought. Baka, here's the perfect time to tell her how you feel and you think about food.

After the last few bars of the song played, he reluctantly got out of the cozy embrace and tried to gather his courage.

"A-Akane,..." he said as he swallowed the lump on his throat nervously. "... I..."

"Yes?" Akane asked,a slight blush on her cheeks as her mind informed her that she had enjoyed the dance TOO much.

Ranma also noticed the blush which he thought made her look even cuter. He felt his courage dissolve and his brain turn to mush as she looked up at him.

"...I..." He mumbled nervously as he tried to find the words that he had waited so long to stay.

They stood in silence for a couple of minutes in the warm, candle scented air, their hearts beating wildly as they watched each other from the corners of their eyes.

Finally, Akane broke the silence by saying, "I had fun too." She then smiled before giving him a small peck on his cheek.

Ranma, in his shock, could only nod his head in agreement as he watched her ascend the stairs. A smile forming on his face as the last couple of minutes replayed in his mind.

He might not have been able to tell her how he felt, but he knew that he'd remember this night forever.

THE END

* * *

AUTHORS NOTES:  
Well,that the end of this story.I have no idea why I'm suddenly writing romantic type fics.I really don't have a lot of experience writing these type of stories,so if you hated it/loved it tell me! What song were they dancing to? An instrumental of "Beauty and the Beast" of course! The song just fits the mood,you know "Both a little scared, neither one prepared..." I'm rambling aren't I? Anyways,send all comments and criticism to emily9


	7. Shizuku-Bridget Ellen Wilde

Shizuku by Bridget Wilde

* * *

_A brief summer interlude..._

* * *

Ranma flopped down in the shade of the tree in the garden, feeling the blades of midsummer grass pricking into his bare back, poking into the thin material of his shorts. The sun glittered through the swaying canopy of leaves; even with his eyes closed he could feel the points of light caressing his face and redly glowing through his eyelids. A drop of sweat trickled down from his forehead into his hair, tickling his scalp as it kept on towards the ground. He felt the tiny feet of an ant purposefully crawling onto his shin and around his ankle, but didn't bother to brush it away; the heat weighed him down, as if he were under a heavy comforter, and he didn't feel like moving.

Feet rustled through the grass and he opened one eye to watch Akane settling in the grass beside him. She carefully arranged her yellow-flowered skirt and set a tray on the ground between them, smiling tentatively.

"Kasumi fixed us all lemonade, so I thought I'd bring you out some..." Her hair was damp, her bangs spiking gently across her forehead as if pointing to her eyes. Ranma muttered his thanks and reached for the nearest glass, raising his head only enough to drink. The condensation on the side of the glass cooled his fingers, making them tingle faintly; the lemonade nipped at the back of his tongue as it slid down his throat. One, two, three swallows - a moment's relief - then the lemonade was gone, leaving behind a faint tinge to his mouth. He lay his head back again, stretching his arms over his head and letting the heat press his eyes closed again.

The sound of splashing water startled him, and he looked up at Akane. She had finished her lemonade and was leaning back against the tree trunk, dipping a yellow handkerchief in a bowl of ice water and running it over her face and neck. Her eyes were half-open, gazing over the wall at the neighboring rooftops, but after a moment she glanced over at Ranma, smiling wearily.

"Want some?" Ranma put his hands behind his head and watched a sparrow fly out of the tree overhead.

"No, thanks. I don't feel like being a girl right now. Besides, your dad'll freak if I'm out here without a shirt as a girl." He looked sidelong at Akane again.

"Oh, finally getting modest?" Ranma twinged a bit, but it was too hot to fight.

"Nah, just getting used to your dad. He's a bit... well... he overreacts a lot."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Akane grinned, dipping the handkerchief in the water again. This time she leaned her head back and wrung out the dripping cloth onto her face. Rivulets streamed down her cheeks, across her stubborn, square jaw, and down her neck, pausing at her collarbone before plunging down to dampen her sundress. It looked unbelievably cool. She opened her eyes, shaking her head slightly, and looked at Ranma through her damp eyelashes. A teasing gleam lit her eyes, and she leaned forward, trailing her fingers in the bowl of water.

"You know," she said slowly. "I bet just one drop won't hurt." Before Ranma's lethargic body could react, she reached out and let a single drop of water fall from her index finger. It landed on the very tip of Ranma's nose, trailing icily down the edge of his nostril to his cheek, warming slightly as it crept towards his ear.

He sat up. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Akane smiled impishly.

"See? You're not a girl." Ranma relaxed slightly, still glaring at her suspiciously. Akane dipped her fingers in the bowl again, lifting them and watching the water run down them to gather at her fingertips. A sullen wind jostled the leaves of the tree, allowing a few shafts of sunlight to pick out shiny damp streaks in her hair and glitter off her wet hands. Her smile deepened.

"I wonder how much water it really does take..." She suddenly flicked another drop at Ranma; it landed on his shoulder and began to work its way towards his elbow. Still his, not hers. That single drop of water felt almost as soothing as the lemonade had. And if he could cool down without changing... He relaxed and lay back down, leveling a challenging grin at Akane.

"I'm game. But if you turn me back into a girl before I'm cooled down, you have to go get more lemonade. Deal?"

"Deal."

Ranma closed his eyes halfway, watching the way Akane's fingertips seemed to be cut off by the water, the steady drip of water from her blunt-trimmed fingernails. A tiny line appeared between her eyebrows as she studied him in concentration.

"The forehead first, I think."

Two drops of water landed near his eyebrows. One ran in an icy streak towards his hairline; the other meandered towards his eyebrow, pausing just above his nose. He could just barely see the edge of it by rolling his eyes up - then, as if it had made a grand decision, the drop dove down towards his eye. He rubbed at it with a knuckle, closing his eyes.

"No change. Try another."

The red glow behind his eyelids dimmed - Akane's shadow as she leaned over him. He felt another drop, this one on his chin. As it traced the outline of his jaw, he heard the grass rustle slightly, then felt Akane's knee just barely touching his shoulder. The droplet trickled under his ear, reached his braid and was lost.

Again a dimming - this time, the water landed on his Adam's apple, winding across the tendons of his throat to the nape of his neck. Next his cheek, floating towards his hairline; his nose again, this time trickling onto his upper lip and staying there, the icy coldness fading into his body's warmth. His earlobe - that bit of coldness, after the drop landed, was her finger, brushing his ear in passing. He shivered.

"Cold?"

"Not yet."

Eyelid. Jaw. Chin. One landed on his lower lip and slid into his dry mouth. He licked his lips and heard Akane giggle; more water dribbled into his mouth, sliding soothingly along his tongue. Cheek again. Two more drops on his upper lips, like frigid beads of sweat.

Then there were no drops for a long moment. He waited. Akane didn't seem to move. He opened one eye.

"Sorry," Akane said. "My fingers are a bit cold from the water, I need to warm them up." She paused, then grinned. "An opening!" She brought her fingers down suddenly on Ranma's stomach. He jerked at the sudden chill. Her soft laugh melted into her ears.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't help myself. You were wide open." But her hand stayed there, her fingers four cool stripes across his belly, sucking warmth from him. They lifted a moment later, fingertips tracing tiny paths before they vanished from his skin, leaving faint damp trails behind.

Ranma threw one arm over his eyes to shade them, watching under the curve of his forearm as Akane's hand dipped again into the water. Her fingers were faintly pink from the cold, the slight calluses on her fingers and the side of her hand a shade darker than the rest of her skin. Her small hand, so much smaller than his own, hovered over the bowl for a moment before allowing a drop to fall in the hollow of Ranma's throat.

He swallowed. Two more drops in the same place, forming a small puddle between his collarbones. He shifted slightly and felt the water run down to one side, tracing his neck. Next, the very center of his chest; this one ran down towards his stomach, curving around his ribs. His collarbone, right where it joined his shoulder. Two drops on one pectoral, crawling sinuously into his armpit. Another on his bicep.

"Cool yet?"

"No... not yet."

A few drops aimed at his navel; some landed in the hollow, one a few inches away.

"You missed, clumsy!" Ranma teased.

"Ha! I can fix that." Akane leaned over so Ranma could see the top of her head and blew on the drop of water, hard. It scooted across Ranma's skin, the air cooling its wake. She blew again, and it joined the puddle. A few strands of her hair brushed Ranma's lowest rib as she sat up. "So there!"

She brushed her wet hand over her own face, leaving streaks of dampness across her cheeks as she studied Ranma speculatively. Ranma's gaze was drawn to her hand again. It dipped into the water, then floated over to his knee, dripping twice. His eyes drifted closed again. A drop on his shin, following the trail of the ant around to his ankle. His other knee, dripping around to fall on the grass. Three drops on his thigh, trickling down the inside of his leg. Again he shivered.

"Still not cold?"

"...no."

"Hmmm..."

Suddenly Ranma was doused smack in the face, a few ice cubes landing on his chest. She sat up, spluttering.

"Whatcha do that for?" Akane sprang to her feet, scampering a short distance away.

"You were *so* wide open. I couldn't resist!"

"Oh yeah?"

"I guess I'll just have to admit defeat." Akane flung an arm over her eyes dramatically. "Oh the shame of it!... I'll just go get the lemonade..." Akane darted around the edge of the house. Ranma leapt after her, laughing. "You cannot escape! Vengeance is mine!"

"Ranma, what are you doing? Put me down! ...No, no, not the pond! Anything but that nice, cool, wet..."

splash!

* * *

owari

This one bugged me all of yesterday, so much so that I stayed up late to write it. The title means "drop (of liquid)" - I picked it out of the Ranma 1/2 theme song "Hinageshi": "potari to shizuku/ namida mitai ni" (a drop drips like a tear) C + C welcome.

_"... The vanilla extract and garlic I chopped into the dough completely destroyed the hidden nodes of cherry and watermelon, and for some mysterious reason, the cornstarch I dissolved in hot water and blended in with the flour is hardening to a bricklike consistency!"_ \- Akane b-engma .edu

* * *

Epilogue(Parody):

(Ranma is in the forest of Ryugenzawa, staring up at the whopping big owl)

Ranma: Mr. Owl, how many drips does it take to get to the Ranma-chan center of a Ranma-kun?

Owl: Let's find out. One... Two-whoooo!... three...

(*splash!*)

Owl: Three.

The world may never know.

-bengman

* * *

_**Shizuku**_ is written by Bridget Ellen Wilde and was published online on October 4th, 1996.


	8. First Night- James Stone

**[FFML] [FANFIC] Ranma - First Night**

From: Stoner  
Date: 1996-09-09 21:52:04+00:00

* * *

Ranma 1/2 - First Night  
by James Stone  
(c) 1996 Stone Age Productions All Rights Reserved

NOTE - This is a _finished_ fanfic. C&amp;C are still welcome as always, but don't expect to see another version with revisions posted anytime ever.

* * *

_Akane's doing something she's never done before, at Nabiki's suggestion. The advice was even give free of charge. She's asking Ranma out on a date. Nothing can go wrong, surely._

* * *

Akane hesitated at the sliding door. She wasn't sure if she could do this. After all, she'd never done anything like it before. Fleetingly she wondered if he had? Shaking her head, she dismissed that thought. There was no way he could ever have done something this... this... bold.

She wouldn't be doing it herself, if it wasn't for Nabiki. She had been in her room, griping about the day at school, with Ukyou fawning all over him at lunch hour, and then Kodachi waiting for him outside of the gates after classes. She'd been so upset she hadn't even waited for him to escape from Kodachi... even though he truly disliked the delinquent from St. Hebereke. So there'd she been in her sister's room, going over everything that had happened, and the question had just slipped out of her sister's mouth.

Akane had been floored. Partly because her sister had suggested the idea FREE OF CHARGE, but mostly because its elegant simplicity had never occurred to her. This idea was so simple, it simply had to work. No matter what Ranma answered, she'd at least _have_ an answer to the question that had bothered her for months.

Alright, this was it. No point in reviewing the facts again. Steeling herself, Akane rapped lightly on the rice paper screen.

"Um?" Ranma's voice answered from within. Sounded distracted. Never mind that now, whatever it was could wait. She opened the door and stepped in.

Ranma looked up from his futon, where he was lying on his stomach. Papers and books were scattered all around him, and a pencil was pinched between his upper lip and his nose. Seeing Akane, he sat up quickly, pencil falling to the floor as his mouth turned upwards in a relieved smile. "Akane! Ureshii na!" His face beamed openly as he looked at her.

Blinking, Akane looked at him suspiciously. "You are? Why?" Crossing the room, she knelt beside a stack of scribbled notes. Picking the topmost sheet up, she studied it carefully, her brow wrinkling as she deciphered the handwriting on it. "I don't believe it... homework?"

Ranma nodded, looking downcast. "Yeah. Hinako-sensei told me that if I didn't get this makeup homework done, I'd have to do extra study hours over the summer." He shuddered for a moment. "At _her_ house."

Akane shuddered in sympathy, remembering the confusion at Hinako-sensei's apartment. Taking another look at the paper, she asked, "So, how much more do you have to do?"

Wordlessly, Ranma held a small notebook up to her face. Twenty assignments were written down in the notebook, in Hinako-sensei's handwriting. Beside 4 of those was a sloppy checkmark.

"Four?! You've only got 4 done?" Akane couldn't believe it. "How long have you been working at this?"

Ranma looked sheepish. "Uh... since I got home... an hour ago."

"An hour..?" Quickly, Akane looked at her watch.

"Bu... but... it's already 8 o'clock! What were you doing out so late?"

Ranma seemed to shrink in front of her, an embarrassed look crawling onto his face. "You weren't... you couldn't have been with Kodachi all that time?" Ranma shrunk down further, his face reddening as he shook his head no. "So how long _were_ you with her?" Ranma held up one finger.

"An hour?" A nod.

"Then what? Did you go out for dinner?" A slow shake of the head. Not exactly...

"Shampoo found you?" A negative. "Ukyou?" Slow, reluctant yes.

"And how long there?" Two sheepish fingers rose into the air.

Akane blinked, confused and angry. "But that was an hour and a half ago! What took you the rest of the time?"

Once again, Ranma remained wordless, but bowed his head in front of her. There, on the back of his head she could just see the red, fading lumps.

"You got in a fight? With who?" An unintelligible mutter.

"Who?" A slightly louder unintelligible mutter. Grabbing his pigtail, Akane jerked his eyes up to meet hers. "WHO?"

Pouting, Ranma replied, his response cut off short as Akane let his head drop to the floor again.

"Ryouga-kun AGAIN?! Is that all you two ever DO is fight? Honestly Ranma, I don't know what you have against him... he's a nice guy!"

Ranma scowled. "Aw, what business is it of yours anyways, uncute tomboy?"

Akane stood up, her skirt twitching angrily. "None, I guess! I guess after the _busy day_ you've had you wouldn't be interested in going on a date with me at all!"

Ranma nodded. "That's right! I DON'T want to go on any stupid da-eh?" Ranma's mouth stopped as his brain caught up.

Blushing suddenly, Akane paused. "Um... a date. I was coming in here to ask you if you wanted to go out tonight." She took another breath. "But... you've got homework to do, so, I guess..."

Jumping to his feet, Ranma landed in front of Akane, putting his hands on her shoulders urgently. "No! It can wait! I mean..." His face suddenly went a bright shade of red. "Um... that is... sorta..." Screwing up his eyes, he blurted it out. "Yes!"

He paused, looking surprised with himself, and pleased. "Yeah. I mean... since you came and _asked_ me and all..." He paused, a frown coming over his face. "Hey, wait a minute... aren't _I_ supposed to...?"

Hurriedly, Akane cut him off. "So, uh… here!" She thrust a ticket into his hand. "I, um, got these from a classmate. It's the late show, at the Nerima Bijou. Near the park, alright?" Ranma nodded. "Okay, I'll see you there before the movie then! I've got to get ready!" Quickly, she closed the door behind her and rushed off to her own room. That had been too close. She couldn't have him thinking too much about this, or it might get all screwed up.

The next 30 minutes passed in a daze as she rushed through her closet, trying on outfits, tossing them onto the floor, selecting another, and repeating. Ooooh, this was so frustrating. Didn't she have _anything_ new to wear to the show? Well, alright, so she'd mix a bit. Not that she really expected Ranma to notice anyways, but... maybe. Next time she'd have something new though. She's make sure to knock his eyes out!

For his part, Ranma just acted stunned, homework forgotten. He was actually going on a date with Akane. Oh, this wasn't _really_ such a big deal… he'd gone on dates before, with Shampoo, and Ukyou, and even Akane, but none of those had really been planned. They'd just sorta happened. Especially the ones with Akane. But still, he always had a good time. He looked at the ticket in his hand. So, the new Jackie Chan movie. He grinned. It was pretty good, having a fiancée with the same tastes of movies that he did. Most girls, they'd want to see something all sappy like. But not Akane. Tomboy. He smiled.

Well, okay, first to change his clothes. This shirt wouldn't do. He'd been wearing it all day. Besides, it wasn't really a _nice_ shirt. He had better. Check the pants. Pretty scruffy too... have to remember not to fight before a date in the future. Alright, change them too. Five minutes later. Okay. Now what.

Glancing left and right suspiciously, Ranma lifted his arm, and sniffed cautiously at his armpit. O-kay. Bath too. His hair could use a bit of brushing, and his teeth. Didn't want okonomiyaki stains there. Grabbing a towel and a change of clothes, Ranma headed off downstairs, trying not to look too excited.

Fourty-five minutes later, and it was time to go. Ranma wondered why Akane had told him to meet him there. That was a bit odd, but, well, never mind. He shrugged. Maybe she had some idea in mind. He had heard her leave a few minutes earlier, and a surreptitious check out the window had told him that wherever it was, it wasn't on the way to the theatre. Well, he'd find out from her when they met. Quickly slipping on his shoes, he rushed out the door, and down the street.

He only made it a few blocks. Just three streets down from his home, Ranma rounded a corner, running flat out, and caromed straight into a delivery bicycle. Accompanied by a high-pitched cry, ramen noodles splattered all over the street.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorr...oh. Shampoo!" Ranma's eyes widened at the sight of the Chinese delivery girl, currently lying on her side, half-trapped under her bicycle. At the sound of his voice, her eyes widened, and before he had finished his sentence, Ranma found himself being possessed by two strong arms and an adoring purple-maned face.

"Aiya! Is no mention, Ranma! Shampoo was bringing special order of Ranma, just for you! Tonight good night for eating delicious ramen together, no?"

Desperately, Ranma tried to extricate himself from Shampoo's clutches. "N... no! Tonight is not a good night! Tonight is a very bad night!" Shampoo's gaze turned suspicious, angry, and, worst of all, hurt. "Ack! Shampoo... don't look at me like that! I... I'm busy tonight, is all!"

"Too busy to spend with wife?" Shampoo glared at him, eyes flashing dangerously. "What you talking, Ranma?"

Freeing himself of the last of what seemed like 12 arms, Ranma backed away slowly..."I... I... I..." He happened to glance upwards. "Oh no! I'm late! I'll talk to you later, okay Shampoo?" Leaping skywards, Ranma bounced off of a handy roof and vanished into the distance.

Raising her fist into the air, Shampoo screamed, "Ranma! You come back with Shampoo!" Gathering herself, she too sprang into the air and gave chase to the fleeing boy.

Ranma groaned as he heard the sound of pursuing Amazon. He was going to be in a huge amount of trouble if he got to the theatre with Shampoo in tow. He didn't want to screw this up. Not at all. Glancing at another public clock, he let out a sigh of relief. Travelling like this was much faster than walking, and he was making better time. He could afford some diversionary tactics. So he started bounding around at random, confident that he could lose the chasing girl in no time.

Some block away, closer to the theatre, Akane was trying vainly to slow down the pounding of her heart. Telling herself that this wasn't the first time they'd been alone together didn't help. Telling herself that it wasn't really their first date didn't help. Her heart was fluttering, she could feel that her cheeks were pink, and, although she didn't want to check too carefully, she suspected she was grinning like an idiot.

She had left early so that she could get Ranma some snacks for the movie. The theatre foods were too expensive, and besides, they didn't offer the steamed breads that he liked. After the movie, she planned to take him to the ice cream parlour near their house, and treat him there too. She didn't mind paying this time. Their allowance was the same, but she didn't have hers suspended so much. Next time though, she was sure, things would be the other way around. All Ranma needed was a push in the right direction, and if she did it the right way, she could keep her pride.

Glancing at her watch, she sped her pace up a bit. It was later than she thought, and further from the store to the theatre too. She wanted to be there first. Wanted to surprise him with the bread. They could stand outside the gates and eat their treats while the stupid commercials and previews played. Then they could go inside, and...

Abruptly, Akane stopped that. It was just a movie. Perfectly innocent. Hardly at all date like. But, her suspected grin grew just a tiny bit more, and her pace sped up just a tiny bit as she rounded the final corner and saw...

At first she didn't see it, in fact. Her eyes took in the information, passed it to her brain, which processed it and then simply ignored it, as being too unbelievable. Then, as the images kept coming, it started dismissing them as products of an overexcited imagination. Imagination replied indignantly, explaining that, while it had been active, its main activities were of pictures of Ranma in the soft light of the movie screen. Certainly not of Ranma in the bright lights of the marquee, with three women hanging off of him.

Horrified, Akane watched Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyou lead Ranma across the park, past the entrance to the movie theatre. Ranma walked stiffly, like all of his limbs were jointless. One arm was behind his head, and on his face was a nervous laugh, looking vaguely in the direction of Ukyou's open, laughing face.

Then she was running, the pavement doubling and trebling before her eyes, water pattering on her face and hands although it wasn't raining. The sound of her sobs in her ears, the rage burning through her. She could almost feel her feet cracking the pavement, her feet abused in the dress shoes, not at all suitable for running. Finding her way home by memory, rounding the corner into the gates, throwing the front door open hard enough to dislodge it from its rails, and stamping into the living room.

How could she have been so stupid? She KNEW what he was like… the womanizing pervert! She should have known he couldn't even set foot outside the gates without finding one of his women, and forgetting about her, who was just his fiancée. Not even his REAL fiancée, just an arranged one. He probably didn't even hate her, like she hated him. For some reason that thought only made her angrier. How dare he not even hate her? How dare he make her feel this way about him! It was all his fault!

Akane's angry gaze fell on the cabinet opposite the television. The cabinet that was always locked. Not that it mattered, she knew where the key was, had known ever since she had paid Nabiki for the knowledge, eight years ago. Then she hadn't understood why her dad would want to lock up a bunch of old bottles. Now she understood why. And they said that it could take the hurt away sometimes. They said that if you were careful, that it wasn't really dangerous. That...

They weren't home. With that thought, and the image of Ranma's nervous, grinning face in her mind, Akane quickly stole over to the TV and recovered the key from its hiding place. Her father wasn't the most imaginative of men, that hiding place hadn't changed since she had found out, and it probably never would. Hands shaking, she opened the cabinet slowly. Carefully, as if some horrible creature had grown there in the last eight years, she peered inside.

No creature. Just a collection of bottles, mostly brown, but a few green, and one clear. She paused. She had no knowledge of alcohol... what should she take? Fruitlessly, she stared at the bottles for a bit longer, then with an exasperated sigh, grabbed a large brownish bottle labeled 'Rum' off the shelf, and reclosed the door.

First, she replaced the key in its hiding place. She wasn't too sure when her father and sisters were getting back, but she didn't want any suspicion when they did. She'd just take some, and replace the bottle, and no one would be the wiser. Clutching it carefully, like a thief, she stole up the stairs to her room, and closed the door behind her. She considered locking it, then decided against it. She rarely did that, and it might arouse suspicion. Best just to be quick.

She sat on the floor, and looked at the bottle in her hands. Now that she had a bit more time to look at it, she saw that it wasn't a brown bottle at all... the glass was clear, and the liquid inside of it a light brown. Carefully, she studied the label. There had to be some sort of instructions for it. Frowning, she squinted at the words... her English was the best in her class, but no match for the thin, oddly-shaped squiggles covering the label. The only things in normal printing on the bottle was the word 'Rum', and another notation, which read '80 Proof'.

She tried to decipher that. 'Rum' was the name of the drink. She had heard upperclassmen talking about drinks, and rum was one they mentioned frequently. As for '80 Proof'... she seemed to remember something about the strength of the alcohol. She reasoned to herself that 80 probably meant the drink was quite strong. She'd have to be careful.

Carefully, she worked the cap off the bottle. It was an older one that had been opened before, so she didn't have to worry about explaining a broken seal. Lifting the bottle to her nose, she sniffed cautiously at the liquid inside. The smell seemed to have physical force, rushing up her nostrils, and assaulting her sense of smell.

"Ugh!" How could people drink this stuff? With the bottle held a bit further away from her, she sniffed again. This time, it wasn't so bad. It was still a powerful aroma, but it wasn't overpowering. And there was a dark undertone to the smell, a heavy fragrance.

Briefly, she wondered if she should have gotten a glass from the kitchen. No, she thought, that would be more explaining. This stuff was powerful enough to leave a smell on the glassware, probably even after cleaning. She didn't want Kasumi noticing anything. Looking at the rim of the bottle (and being careful not to breathe through her nose as she did so), she decided that it would be clean enough to drink out of.

Okay then. Hoisting the bottle up by its neck, she thought of Ranma. Of Ranma surrounded by Shampoo, Ukyou, and Kodachi. Of Ranma laughing with them. A red haze crept over her vision. Her fingers tightened on the neck of the bottle, and with a swift gesture, she lifted the alcohol to her lips, and let a big splash of the liquid fall into her mouth and down her throat.

"Wauh-!" She rocked forwards violently, slamming the bottle against the floor, and coughing out heavily. She could feel the heavy droplets of alcohol on her breath as she tried to get the taste from her mouth. The rum burned, her tounge and the sides of her mouth tingling unpleasantly, a burning sensation that plummeted straight down her throat, and into her stomach, where it seemed to explode with a rush of warmth that flushed her entire body. Coughing, choking on the heavy taste, Akane tried to regain her breath. After a few moments, she rocked back upright, still clutching the bottle by its neck.

"Whoo! Powerful stuff!" she cried, then quickly shut her mouth and looked around the room. Pretty loud, that. It couldn't be affecting her already, could it? She checked her window, which was open. Better close that. Didn't want the neighbours to hear anything.

Quickly, she got up and closed the window. That was neat, it was like she hadn't moved at all. Wasn't that kinda funny? She wondered if Ranma felt that way. She wondered if he got the same rush as she did when they were alone together. This was almost like that, only without the blush. She wondered if he felt that right now. She decided that maybe she needed a bit more.

She dropped back to the floor, and lifted the bottle again. She looked at it carefully. Looked pretty harmless, really, but boy... didn't FEEL harmless. She ran her tongue over her lips. Still a bit tingly. Well, she wouldn't need much more. With a grimace, she lifted the bottle again, and took another slug off of it.

Instinctively, she rocked forwards again, but this time she didn't cough. The rum had gone down a lot smoother this time. Still burned, the taste still made her tongue quiver and twitch, but the warm feeling in her belly spread out a lot further this time, making even her skin tingle. She giggled. That was foolish. She'd just had a drink, there was no way it could have gotten to her this quickly. Still, she wondered if you built up some sort of resistance to it...got used to it, maybe. Experimentally, she took a third shot.

"Aaahhhh...yup. That's it." She giggled out loud. Things seemed to be just a little more in focus now. She could see edges and colors she had never noticed before. But only in the center of her vision. Things got fuzzy around the edges. Not at all like being with him, when everything was bright and clear, everything smelled better, sounded nicer, and looked brighter. But close. She felt... almost happy again. She took another drink.

Carelessly, she flopped backwards, and thumped heavily against the side of her bed. Whoops! When did that get so close? A giggle. For that matter, why was she lying down? Tsk tsk tsk. Lying down on the job, Akane. Grinning stupidly, she rolled her head from side to side, looking at the junction of the wall and the ceiling. It was a bit blurry, but that was okay. Didn't want to focus anyways. It was kinda nice, all fuzzy, not hard and sharp.

Back and forth, back and forth. Watching the wall and roof switch places, left, right, left, right. Where was she? Oh yeah, lying down on the job. That was pretty silly, what job? She was in school, silly, and didn't have any homework tonight. Ranma, no he had homework. He had a lot of homework. But he was shirking it. Uh-huh. She nodded her head in long, exaggerated strokes, thumping it softly against her mattress each time. Shirking it with other women, he was! Yup. And she wasn't gonna help him get out of it. No siree... not her. She had meant to... woulda stayed up all night to help him if she had to. Cause she wanted this evening, and she wanted him, and she lo-

Face was hot. Wet. She lifted her hand to her cheek, and found her nose. Carefully, she slid it over to the side, found her cheeks were all wet and sticky. Tears? This… this wouldn't do at all! Pull yourself together! Here. Have another drink. How many is that? Four? Three? Doesn't matter. Here you go.

Her hand lifted the bottle to her lips shakily, tilting it up just a bit too soon. Amber liquid spilled over the rim, and dribbled onto her blouse. Hastily, she readjusted the angle of the bottle, and brought it to her lips, then she tilted it back. Carefully, carefully... tilting the bottle down, she swallowed the liquid again, an expression of dazed peace crossing her face as the tears continued to flow. She set the bottle down, unsteadily, hastily trying to balance the bottle on its base, splashing the rum around inside the bottle. The girl's head rolled back on the bed, her eyes wide open as she contemplated the ceiling tiles, feeling so... fuzzy, and...

Ranma groaned as she rushed through the streets of Nerima towards the Tendo home. Akane was going to be royally ticked off. He had come so close, too. His perfect plan of escape and diversion would have worked too, if Ukyou hadn't been visiting a fellow okonomiyaki chef that night. Getting delayed by her had allowed Shampoo to catch up. He had _almost_ escaped in the confusion there, when a busload of Rhythmic Gymnastics students rolled past. He had just had a brief instant of ice-cold shock before the ribbon curled out of the night and wrapped around him. And before he had known it the three girls had kidnapped him, and hauled him through the city, each one trying to get the other's share of attention. He had had one last chance to escape, at the Nerima Bijou, but as they passed in front of it, Ukyou had begun to mention an embarrassing moment from his childhood, and he'd been forced to distract her and the other two girls from that particular line of questioning.

Now it was an hour too late. He didn't feel good about it, but he had tricked the girls into thinking he'd meet them at a soda shop while he went and got flowers for them. Not at all honorable, but... he'd feel worse if he totally abandoned Akane. And not just because she'd be the one to do the most damage to him.

He had checked the theatre, but, to no surprise, she was gone. There had been a narrow escape as the three wronged challengers had rushed through the park, intent on dating him, whether he was dead or alive. Not wanting to find out the result, he had jumped into the Bijou's sign, and hidden there. Another 20 minutes wasted. Finally the girls had given up, with dark, unspecified threats about his future, and gone home. And so he too, headed home, to his fate.

Reaching the Tendo home, he stepped in carefully. "I'm back..." he called out, hesitantly. No answer. Taking his shoes off, he noticed Akane's scattered over the entrance way. She had come home angry. Sighing unhappily to himself, he carefully arranged her shoes beside his own, and went into the home.

First, he checked the living room. If she was out, that would be a good sign. It would mean she wasn't _too_ angry anymore. Empty. She had been here though, the cushions were disarrayed. Kasumi wouldn't have left the house for the evening without straightening up first. Okay... maybe she was in the bathroom. A quick check down the hall ended that notion. Not there either.

He sighed. That meant her room. That meant she was really angry. Boy was he in trouble. Normally he'd get angry about this, but tonight... just disappointed. He could imagine what she felt like.

Quietly climbing the stair, he hesitated outside her door. He couldn't hear any crying... maybe she had cried herself to sleep. She had done so before. He wondered if she knew how cute she looked sleeping that way. He wondered if she knew that he had seen her like that... vulnerable, unguarded. He had spent quite a while looking at her like that, in fact, and had lain awake for a long time afterwards. He wondered if he was going to get ambushed when he opened the door.

He put his and on the knob, and turned carefully. Well, it wasn't locked. That was good, no coming in through the window. He held the door shut, with the knob turned open. Okay. Take it like a man. Quickly, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

At first, his mind was as hopeless to deal with the situation as Akane's had been earlier. There was no context in it for the sight of Akane, wearing what was a new combination outfit, sprawled out against her bed, her mouth turned up in a big grin, and her eyes dribbling a steady stream of tears. There was some sort of brown stain on her blouse. And there was a bottle in her hand. It took several moments for the bottle, the stains, and the posture all to connect.

"Oh my god, Akane!" Ranma dropped to his knees beside the girl. She couldn't have... she couldn't be...

Akane's eyes cracked open, and despite himself, Ranma's chest loosened considerably. She was awake, at least. Confusion flickered across her face for a few moments, then her smile grew even wider and tighter as recognition showed in her eyes. "Oooooooooohh..." she began. She didn't seem to know how to stop though. Finally, she ran out of breath on the vowel, and let her head drop to her collarbones. She tilted her eyes up at him, an absurdly coquettish look. "If it isn't _Ranma_" She drew out his name, turning it into an insult.

Ranma was stunned. He couldn't believe this. What on earth had she done this for? "A... Akane? Wh...What are you doing?" he asked, trying his best to sound casual, and failing miserably.

She let go of the bottle to gesture carelessly in the air. "Oh... nothing much." Her voice dripped with cheery acid. "I was supposed to have a date tonight, but I got stood up." Ranma winced as she went on. "So, I had a little party alllll of my own. He-heh..." She giggled as she looked at the bottle again, her hand slowly returning to grasp it.

Reflexively, Ranma grabbed the bottle away from her, and inspected it. "Rum?" He checked the level of the bottle: Half-full. "Oh geez, Akane, you didn't drink all of _this_, did you?"

Akane looked offended. "Co... co... course not!" Ranma let out a sigh. "N... N... NECK! See? I'm not too drunk to talk. An... nn... oh, whatever. Nnnneck was empty."

Ranma winced. She hadn't started the bottle, but she had by far put the biggest dent in it. How was he supposed to deal with this? He'd never had a drink in his life, although he apparently knew more about it than Akane. Stupid girl. She could get herself hurt doing things like...

He stopped himself. This was not the time to let his pride get in the way. He stood, and put the bottle on the top of her wardrobe. "I... I think you've had enough... um... party, for one evening, Akane. What's say we put you to bed, oka..." He dodged as a dumbbell crashed off the wall a foot to his side.

"Pervert! Peeper! Lech!" Akane called out, joyously furious. "Cross-dresser! Playboy!" she continued.

"He... hey! Stoppit, Akane! I just mean you have to sleep now! Sleep!"

Akane stopped yelling, and glared sullenly at him. "Doan wanna," she pouted.

Ranma sighed in exasperation. "Akane... really. I mean it. You'll be really sick if you don't sleep!" To himself, Ranma noted that with the amount she had drunk, sleeping wasn't going to help all that much, but it would at least take the edge off.

Akane's eyes flared again. "Why do you care?! You don't care about me! You just wanna take care of me quick so you can run off with your girlfriends again!" She quickly pulled herself into a ball to cry, and fell over onto her side as her balance shifted.

"Akane, no! That's not true!" Ranma began, looking helplessly at the girl. "I don't... I don't WANT to be with them! I want..." He stopped. This was hopeless. She wasn't listening to him...worse still, he thought she didn't _want_ to listen to him. The he noticed that her crying had tapered off.

"I want to take care of you," he finished.

Akane lifted her head up to look at him. Something about his voice, about the way he was standing, slumped over a bit, not on guard, something in the way his eyes were so regretful. "To make up for tonight," he continued. "This is all my fault, ok? So... let me make it up to you. Please."

Her mind suddenly much clearer than before, Akane nodded, slowly. "I... I'd like that." Who had said that? It couldn't have been her, could it? Silence. Ranma smiled, and her confusion retreated. It must have been her.

"Alright then. Let's get you into bed." Walking over to the bed, Ranma turned back the covers. Bending over, he scooped the girl up into his arms, ignoring her faint squeak of protest, and put her gently in the bed. He pulled the covers up over her, and smiled. "Now, you go to sleep. I'll take care of..." he gestured to the top of the wardrobe, "and then I'll bring you some water." He walked to the door, collecting the bottle on the way. "And I'll see you in the morning." Smiling, he turned the light off, and stepped into the hallway.

Her thoughts spinning almost as fast as it seemed her bed was, Akane's eyes were pulled shut by the weights attached to them, and she plummeted into sleep, a smile on her face.

* * *

Well, another fanfic done, and another one that isn't Fall of the Eagle. Oops. But when you get a good idea, sometimes, you just have to go with it. Too bad these flashes of inspiration don't seem to his as often for the other 4 fics I'm working on. (2 FotE, and two originals). Anyways, this fic was written in a 3.5-hour fit of milkshake induced frenzy, and might not be as polished as it should be. I probably could have done more with it...the original concept included Akane's family too, but I decided to shorten it and make it a 2-character story. And as for the idea of Akane deciding to get drunk...it's a common urge, even in Japan, for teens to experiment, and it seemed logical to me that Akane would be most likely to experiment after a major disaster with Ranma. Aside from ceremonial sake at celebrations and such, I doubt many of the people in this story have much experience with alcohol, but being healthy, active people, there has to be some curiosity. Anyways, that last paragraph was just rambling to cover my butt, sorta. Coming before December, FotE 8 and 9, guaranteed. ^_^ I promise. Really. I mean it...

James Stone - stoner .


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